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The Classical Exploreris a place to discover classical music by lesser-known composers, and, occasionally, lesser-known works by composers who are well-known. Each listing will have CD information, a brief description of what you might expect of the music, and a link to where you can find it. All will contain accessible works that have given pleasure, and in most cases are off the beaten track. A recommended recording may be recent or it may have been around for years. We hope you will join us!

Joseph Holbrooke
(1878-1958)The Birds of Rhiannon 2

Cyril Rootham
(1875-1938)Symphony #1 2

A concert comprising Bantock's moody overture, Holbrooke's fairly gentle tone poem, and Rootham's engaging symphony. There are echoes of such composers as Ralph Vaughan Williams, Arnold Bax, a touch of Edward Elgar, even Ernst Moeran. The heart of the half-hour symphony is its beautiful slow movement with similarities to Vaughan Williams' Pastoral Symphony and occasionally William Walton's 1st.

Foote, American born and American trained, still was firmly rooted in the European Romantic period. His cheerful and rich melodies pour out in this chamber music.

His most famous and understandably most popular work in its day is the haunting Nocturne and Scherzo for Flute and String Quartet. Foote's biographer, Nicolas E. Tawa, (Arthur Foote: A Musician in the Frame of Time and Place) quoted in the liner notes, said this piece "makes a statement that is benevolent and compassionate, rather than passionate". This is an excellent observation and also holds true especially for the second movement of the gorgeous Piano Quartet.

Foote follows in the tradition of Mendelssohn and Schumann in his chamber music writing, (although in the Piano Quartet there are moments that are also reminiscent of Dvořák's American Quartet). There is a modal theme in the last movement, described as a hymn-tune, used as contrast with the march-like first theme.

Siegmund von Hausegger
(1872-1948)

Natursymphonie

Scored for a very large orchestra including organ, and a choir, this is an immediately attractive work. There are reminders of Gustav Mahler, Richard Strauss, and Franz Schmidt. The choir appears only in the last movement. Rasilainen has made something of a name for himself in less familiar music such as the symphonies of Kurt Atterberg and Sinding, and is the man for showing this late Romantic work at its best.

Sinfonia Varsovia/Grzegorz Nowak
Accord 011369-2 66:31

This is an enjoyable collection of orchestral music by mostly little-known 19th-century Polish composers. The standout is the Noskowski, a 20-minute symphonic poem with memorable themes and sweeping momentum. The mystery is the inclusion in the Zelenski of a theme familiar from Antonín Dvořák's Cello Concerto, which was written 25 years later.

Evaristo Felice Dall'Abaco
(1675-1742)

Concerto Köln
Teldec Das Alte Werk 3984-22166-2 78:15

The Veronese composer Dall'Abaco worked in Italy, Bavaria and France, all of whose music influenced his compositions. A wide variety of moods and dance forms is on display on this CD from the ever-reliable Concerto Köln. Lovers of Antonio Vivaldi, Georg Philipp Telemann or Jean-Philippe Rameau will find much to enjoy.

The Wood Nymph is early Sibelius but is a powerful orchestral work that had to wait until this 1996 CD for its first recording. Swanwhite is a delicate suite of incidental music with most movements lasting little more than a minute. If you dislike music with narration, the other two pieces are minor short works and it's these that include the narrator.

François-Clément Théodore Dubois
(1837-1924)

Trio Hochelaga
Atma Classique ACD2-2362

The elegance of Camille Saint-Saëns and the expansive and immediately accessible emotional content of Gabriel Fauré are heard throughout this recent CD (2005). Slow movements are full of polite, almost restrained passion, and faster movements are usually very light and bubbly, reminding me of similar movements in Maurice Ravel's chamber music.

It is ironic that Dubois fell out of favor when he refused to join the impressionist "revolution"; after being influential and popular both as composer and teacher, he spent his last twenty years of life in obscurity. He is known now mostly for his "Seven Last Words of Christ" although he was a prolific composer. Also highly recommended is the companion CD: Works for Piano and Strings Vol. II (Atma Classique ACD2-2385) to be discussed in the future.

John Joubert
(b. 1927)

Symphony #1, Op. 20 (1956)

London Philharmonic Orchestra/Vernon Handley
Lyrita SRCD322 31:17

South African-born Joubert has spent most of his life in England and the traces of Edward Elgar, William Walton, even Malcolm Arnold, in his music are apparent. Vernon Handley, who has done so much for English music, conducts this for all it's worth. The very short playing time is more than compensated by a reduced price.

John Kinsella
(b. 1932)

Symphony #3 "Joie de Vivre"
Symphony #4 "The Four Provinces"

This is one of the most interesting CDs of the Irish composers series on Marco Polo. The music is frequently exciting with more than a little menace such as in Peter Mennin's "Moby Dick" and Fifth Symphony. Those who are wary of dissonance need not be worried about this music: it's a pity more of Kinsella's symphonies are not available.

Hamish Milne, piano
Hyperion CDA67491/2 156:59

The rough translation of "skazka" as "tale" is not really adequate for these varied pieces that are somewhat akin to Fibich's moods and reminiscences. The music sounds variously like Sergei Rachmaninoff, Piotr Ilyitch Tchaikovsky and occasionally Francis Poulenc. These CDs are unusually well-filled and Milne's playing is a delight.

Ernst Mielck
(1877-1899)

Mielck's symphony is generally credited with being the first by a Finnish composer, beating Jean Sibelius by a year or two. It's well worth exploring and adds yet another to the list of short-lived composers with thoughts of what else he might have achieved. The Concert Piece is pleasant without being distinctive, but it's the symphony that's the main interest.

Quincy Porter
(1897-1966)

Symphony #1
Poem and Dance
Symphony #2

Sinfonia Varsovia/Ian Hobson
Albany TROY574 60:23

The nearest similarity I can suggest for this music is Walter Piston, with a little William Schuman. The symphonies were written thirty years apart but have a unifying "feel". The Poem and Dance serves as a good contrast. The Polish orchestra sounds more than comfortable with this unfamiliar music.

Václav Jan Tomáek
(1774-1850)

These two sunny concertos (1803/5) show the influences of Wolfgang Mozart in festive mood, as in the piano concerto K503, Ludwig van Beethoven and even Carl Maria von Weber, but there are some delightful touches characteristic of none of them. If this appeals, there are other works of this composer to explore, not least his delightful Eclogues for piano.